The Netflix production follows 100 men and women with sculpted physiques, including former Olympic athletes and soldiers from elite units, who face complex tests and competitions.
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The series has already aired its first season on Netflix and is considered a worldwide success. Watch the trailer:
After the success of productions such as “Parasite” (2019) and “Round 6” (2021), the audiovisual industry in South Korea indicates that reality TV programs are the next content in the country that could become popular abroad.
It is the first non-scripted production to lead the platform's non-English language exhibition catalog, increasing the popularity of “Solteiros, Ilhados e Desesperados” (2021), a dating program that became a hit last year.
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Part of the show's allure is the contestants:
Jo, who started going to the gym as a teenager and never played sports professionally, discovered she could compete with some of the strongest people in her country.
The 41-year-old won one of the most difficult tests, inspired by the punishment of Atlas from Greek mythology, in which competitors had to lift and hold a huge stone in the air.
“When I lifted it, I thought it would be finished in about 30 minutes,” he told AFP. But she kept repeating “Just hold on for 10 more minutes.”
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The participant remained strong for two hours and 14 minutes and finished fourth in the overall classification.
Honest and authentic
South Korean productions have conquered the world in recent years.
According to data from Netflix, 60% of the platform's users consumed some content from the Asian country in 2022.
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Even here in Brazil, those who watch the series already have their favorites:
Investments were also successful, around US$759 million (around R$3,9 billion) in South Korean content between 2015 and 2021, in addition to the announcement of the expansion of the production of reality shows this year. year.
“Korean nonfiction shows didn’t travel before Netflix started going global,” said Don Kang, the company’s vice president of South Korean content. “There are some things we have done to make the shows more understandable for global audiences,” he added.
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For car salesman Jo, one of the reasons for the program's success is the camaraderie among participants.
“We motivated each other in each race, we consoled ourselves when someone lost.”
The “relative honesty” of these shows is part of their appeal to foreign audiences, said Regina Kim, an entertainment writer and expert on South Korean productions who currently lives in New York.
“It's a breath of fresh air for American audiences who may be tired of reality stars fighting all the time,” she said, adding that these consumers may turn their eyes to South Korean productions.
Female representation
Despite its success, “The Battle of the 100” sparked controversy by pitting contestants of different genders against each other, raising questions about whether it is fair or not. In the end, the top five were men.
However, Jang Eun-sil, one of the 23 women in the competition, said the show's format was “original and refreshing,” which helped motivate her throughout the challenges.
“I just did my best in every moment, so I have no regrets and I never thought it was unfair,” said the 32-year-old, praised for her leadership of the program.
Although he didn't win, Jang gained a lot of followers on his social media and commented that competing on the show gave his sport more visibility.
“To be honest, wrestling is not a very popular sport in South Korea,” she explained, hoping that more compatriots will realize that there are women wrestlers.
@curtonews “The Battle of the 100” is the newest successful reality show produced by the Korean entertainment industry. 🎬 #CurtoNews ♬ original sound – Curto News
(Source: AFP)
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